And the cogs are moving and the clock is ticking
by ShadowDianne
Summary: Prompt: Steampunk Swan Queen. Emma is an adventurer getting ready for a trip around the world in her amazing airship. Regina is the daughter of a noble about to be trapped into a loveless marriage. They meet one night at a Regina's engagement party,Emma asks if she's happy and that if she had the chance to leave tonight and never come back what would she do. PreSQ


asked by cutelikemurder via tumblr

And the cogs are moving and the clock is ticking

Emma eyed the mansion in front of her, the poor light due to the late hour added to the normal cloud of smoke that always hovered over the city made almost difficult for her good trained eyes to distinguish the real colors of the mansion's façade. However, the words that were engraved at the front in copper letters with the name of the family that lived there shone strongly enough to make her feel her nerves returning, biting at her insides.

Walking slowly towards the entrance she tilted her head when one elderly lamplighter walked next to her, a vacant stare in his eyes as he mostly limped, the sound of a metallic leg following his steps as he did so. Emma merely sighed and turned her eyes towards the door, her gloved-covered hands digging on the pockets of her long leather coat, her boots clanging against the road in the same fashion the lamplighter did albeit not due to a mechanical leg or arm but just because of the copper bits the boots sported, a helpful item to make her be grounded on her airship's floor whenever the ship was attacked by pirates. A rather common occurrence in the lines she tended to move.

Her clothes, albeit old and obviously used, were clean and not broken and as she touched her most valuable possession; a tiny mechanical watch whose dented clogs could be seen as the piece showed not only hours but also the different and most used merchant air lines, she almost felt ready to enter in a place she obviously didn't feel like she fitted in. One hand came from her pocket and touched her vest, leather and satin; a priced piece of cloth her second had insisted on buying when they had stopped momentarily on Alderdale, next to Midas princedom.

When she had questioned Ruby about it the brunette had shrugged and told her that one never knew when the fabric could ever come in handy and since it was quite normal for Emma and her crew to need every piece of the goods they had when they tried to trade in different harbors the blonde captain had let the woman had the piece of clothing without a fight. Now that she was using it she could almost hear the smug smile her second had directed at her when she had abandoned her ship a few hours before, the walk between that part of the city towards the high society part a really long walk the blonde had made while trying to look as imperturbable as always. Yes, Emma thought to herself, karma was a particular entity that didn't like her very much and as she finally decided to touch the bell at one side of the main gate, a beautiful work from one of the most priced and valuable factory of the enchanted forest company, she felt the same nervousness and weariness that always filled her whenever she needed to do a social visit like this one.

Posh people, vacant talks and almost the same look of disgust and incomprehension directed at her, that was basically what she received and lived every time she needed to go to one of those mansions to talk about her travels. As one of the most famous explorer in the entire forest she knew that part of her duty was to actually do that but she hated those parties with every part of her being and Terradale on White's princedom being her hometown wasn't exactly making the whole thing easier. She could almost remember herself, playing in the streets, being chased away by men and women alike for being a thief as she tried to pick every piece of coal she could find in order to pay her foot and shelter and thinking that, maybe, one day, she would be able to cross those giant doors of the high-class society and actually stop running. The dream had never become true and her desires of actually living in such a stagnant society had also dismissed after she had started to work for the airships on the main deck. The Storybrooke, as far as she knew, was and forever would be her home and now that she was about to enter the house of the man that actually commanded the entire princedom she only could feel empty, tired.

Well, she murmured as the doors finally opened and a lackey looked back at her with that same sneer Emma hated so much, at least the food is free.

-A few hours before-

Regina looked at her mirror as she tried to not move when the servant applied one more layer of make up to her already in her opinion too much decorated face. Smokey eyes looked back at her as well as luscious-looking lips that she bit with fruition, her hands grabbing the frilly fabric of her skirt as she did so.

"Don't fidget" Cora said at her back as she opened and closed the door, her eyes pinning Regina to her seat as the servant scurried away, the same look of terror Regina had now also on her blue eyes; Cora Mills was really a force to be reckoned and as short as her vast had been she had already quite a reputation on the staff. "You need to be beautiful tonight dear, not looking like a girl that has found her mother's make-up and had decided to put it on"

Regina nodded tiredly and looked at her mother though the vanity's mirror she was seated at. Despite her age Cora was still a beautiful woman, one that exuded power and confidence in the same way Regina exuded nerves and a profound need to actually scape the too tight clothes the servants had helped in minutes before. The Mills matriarch, however, looked completely at ease on her red and black corset and as she approached the vanity and retouched one strand of her brunette hair she casted one last stern look at her daughter who looked at her hands before starting to iron the now creased fabric.

"Leopold has certainly exceled himself" Cora said after one pregnant silence while grabbing the brush and finishing what the servant had left undone. Her cold fingers felt strange against Regina's face and when the older woman made her tilt her head upwards a shiver run up and down the brunette's spine. "Maybe even too much but considering his family I certainly don't have any complains, the entire city will talk about this for months"

Regina didn't say anything, fully knowing that it would be pointless; her marriage had been decided months ago and it hadn't mattered Leopold's age or the fact that Regina didn't want to be tied to a city like that in where the little of forest and green the once ago called forest still possessed was nothing more than fuzzy memories. Her father would have understood but her mother… her mother wanted to keep climbing on the social ladder and Regina was her last ticket to that kind of life.

"Today's the final party before the ceremony" Cora was saying, blowing on Regina's eyes to make the woman close them tightly as she fixed the smoky look the servant had given to her before the older woman's entrance. "So please try to behave yourself"

The comment made Regina tremble with rage but nodded, thinking again on the little Arcmire town where she had grew up, in where yes, machines were used but didn't pollute the air as much as they did in places like Terradale. Feeling again the tell-tale signs of anxiety floating around her she tried to calm down, there was nothing she could do and it was pointless trying to think otherwise; in less than a month she would be Leopold's White spouse and there was nothing that could stop that.

"You will at least have someone to talk to" Her mother was saying as she closed the make-up box with a powerful snap, her back now towards Regina who stood from the over-stuffed chair she had been seated in. "He has invited some kind of explorer, a woman for what I've heard. She has the same age as you do which for what I've been told is quite an impressive record since she is also the captain of her ship. I don't quite remember the name"

Regina's eyes shone brightly at the perspective of having actually someone to talk to instead of the old men and women she had already met in the previous parties she had been forced to attend.

"However, I hope that you will be in your best behavior and whereas you may enjoy her presence and tales I don't want anything out of the ordinary, keep your ideas out of the room and try to merge a little with the nobility. Understood?"

Cora turned, pinning Regina under her gaze and the younger girl could only nod once before the matriarch nodded herself, happy with the impression of her daughter dressed up like she was.

"I expect you on the ballroom in five minutes then, don't be late. I really don't want to explain why you are late to yet another party"

And with that she was gone.

Regina sighed and turned once again to the vanity, repressing a scream as she saw herself in it, the way the plunging neckline she sported now due to the corset too tight for her to even try to breathe properly and as she caressed her midriff she tried to keep her eyes clear of tears, knowing that if the tiniest part of her make up appeared smudged or badly applied when she finally went to the ballroom her mother would certainly make her pay.

"At least there will be someone new" She thought morosely as she grabbed the only penchant that had come with her from her home; a tiny rampant horse. Fastening around her neck she walked to the door and opened it with a firm movement, the sounds of the already beginning party echoing on the wood panels that covered the walls. The dim light of the gas lamps creating different sets of shadows around her as she walked towards the beginning of the staircase.

"Please, let this be over quickly"

\- A few hours later-

Emma grabbed what looked to be alcohol and smiled encouragingly at the old man that was now eyeing her as if she was nothing but a pile of scum. General Spencer, who had lost an arm during what was called the fourth troll battle 15 years before and with the medal under his still functioning arm had come to Terradale, transforming himself in the Commandant of the city fleet. He was not exactly a man someone could be friends with and the blonde always tried to avoid being the one who went to Customs every time the Storybrooke passed near the city.

"We expect to be reaching the northern isles in less than a month" She said, taking a sip and trying to not feel as uncomfortable as she probably was looking in that moment, her clothes feeling clunky against the fine ones Spencer and his third wife wore, the two of them sharing looks from time to time, cold fake smiles on their lips every time they did so. Swallowing down her rage Emma looked at Leopold at her right who was eyeing her like a prize dog on a contest, almost looking as he expected her to be doing jumps from one place to another just because she had been invited to the party.

"Keep calm Swan" She thought, knowing that her reputation was also something she worked with and therefore needed to be impeccable in order to be accepted in the few social circles that later on could fund her travels.

"Fascinating" Spencer said with a sneer but as he was about to say something that would have probably made Emma forget why punching a noble in the face wasn't exactly a good idea Leopold grabbed her by the arm and pushed her in front of someone who Emma had definitely not known before.

"Captain Swan" Leopold said looking like a kid showing his favorite toy to another friend "May I present you my future wife?"

The girl that looked back at her looked nothing but the old man's wife and as Emma's eyes traveled from the corset, so used right now that even the nobility let women wear them with nothing else behind, to the well-fitting skirt she swallowed, the beauty of the woman certainly something to not laugh at. What made her look twice however was what she saw at the other side of the woman's eyes, almost like a plea that was soon enough covered in something close to ambivalence. Almost.

"It's a pleasure" The blonde finally said bowing a little, noticing how the brunette seemed to look at her scope gun for a second too long before turning her deep brown eyes back at her. Rules specified that no man or woman could be armed inside the princedom's ruler house but Emma had been adamant of not giving the gun at the door and so she had managed to sneak pass the rule. In a nest of vipers better be armed, that had been one of the first things she had ever learnt.

"Regina" The brunette replied with a courtesy, a smile betraying the mask of inference for a second, lighting up those brown eyes Emma suddenly felt trapped in. "Mills is my surname, for now at least"

Emma nodded at that and glanced at Leopold who was already looking at something at their left, a new wave of guests having finally arrived.

"I will come later" He promised with a gentle nudge on Emma's side and a lustful wink to his future wife who didn't answer. "Take care of her Captain"

"I'll do that" Emma promised and with that the two women were left alone in the middle of the ballroom. After a tense silence Emma was starting to wonder if it would be appropriate to ask the brunette if she really wanted to talk when Regina turned swiftly, motioning to one of the tall windows that looked at the outskirts of Terradale city.

"Do you mind? I've been craving air almost all evening now"

"Of course not" Emma replied, falling into an easy step next to Regina as they crossed the room. "Although at this time of the night the factories start cleaning their chimneys, I doubt that we will get any cleaner air than the one we have inside"

That comment alone made Regina stop and sigh, nodding tiredly as she did so. "I always forget that we aren't in my hometown anymore"

"You are from one of the Colonies?" Emma asked, intrigued, there were few places in where actual forests could be found nowadays and so clear air. Albeit there still was the high trees up north the only places in where natural wildlife and humans lived where in the old Colonies founded over 300 hundred years ago and mostly abandoned on their present time.

Nodding, Regina looked through the glass of the window, the lights of the city floating in a fog created by the factories Emma had previously mentionated, the shadows of the decks on the southern part of the city barely visible from where they were standing.

" From Arcmire" She said, almost smiling proudly at the mention of her hometown "I'm still getting used to… this"

The words barely held any joy and Emma sighed, understanding the longing echo on the younger woman's words perfectly.

"I'm from here" She confided with a shrug "And after seeing the rest… I think I can understand your preference for a cleaner air"

"You are from here? From Terradale?" Regina looked at her with curiosity and as Emma nodded the two of them looked at the men and women that filled the ballroom.

"I've never been in the same social circles than them" Emma assured the other woman promptly "I lived in the lowest level, been working on the airships since I was 12, I was named captain four years ago and since then I've been here only two times, I try to avoid this place as much as I'm able to"

"Why is that?" Regina asked and Emma noticed that she was playing with one little penchant, Arcmire's symbol looking back at her.

"Bad memories" Emma replied, smiling sadly as she turned and looked at the dormant city. Her mind still hold the knowledge she had used in order to survive Terradale and for a second she could almost hear the clinging sound of the bell that signaled the beginning of night time, when the city slept and nothing could stop one little orphan as she tried to gather as much coal as possible.

"If I could I would also leave the town" Regina admitted, seeming awestruck of her own words the second they were out her mouth.

"You would?" The blonde said, frowning. It was obvious than the marriage between Leopold and the brunette was nothing but something made out of convenience but it was the first time a wife-to-be even admitted that kind of thing in the high-class society situation Emma had ever attended to.

Regina licked her lips, looking for her mother for a second before turning to the blonde, a minute nod confirming Emma's question. The blonde could perfectly know her mother or be a test from Cora –something that would haven't been the first time- but something made Regina want to confide in her and so she did.

"I would, but please, don't ever tell this to anyone else"

"Leopold..?" Emma asked, frowning ever so slightly, the man was egotistical to no measure and certainly not as good as almost everyone seemed to think he was but she would have never peg him for being abusing. Although marrying with a younger woman that clearly didn't want it wasn't exactly something a good person would do. Not by Emma's standards that at least, sadly, weren't exactly followed by the rest of the society.

"Partly" The other woman said and for her silence Emma knew that there was something else in that word, something that she would probably never know. "Would you tell me something about your travels?"

And so Emma started explaining the young woman about the cities that bordered the kingdoms, the places in where the forest still held the powerful combination of coal and another substance no doctor had still discovered what it was that in the old historian books had been described as fairy dust, she explained Regina about creatures she had needed to find and that particular time in where she had almost fallen from her own airship while trying to fight against a particular fleet of pirates…

If Cora casted murdered looks to the two of them or men and women alike tried to get Emma immersed in different kinds of conversation neither of them realized it, too interested in each other eyes. Regina started to talk also about her childhood on the Colonies, how she had been friends with a boy named Daniel that later on had moved to Seremire near the sea where the fluvial fleet was still strong.

"He was the one who taught you how to ride?" Emma asked, noticing the way Regina always managed to touch her penchant whenever she mentioned Daniel.

"Yes, he did" The brunette replied, smiling softly at the thought of her friend. "He always told me that I wasn't made to live on Arcmire"

"I think he could be right" Emma replied without thinking, blushing when Regina turned to look at her. "You seem that you would suffocate"

"And what I will do here?" Regina replied, looking again at the city, sighing slightly as she finally let go the penchant, her eyes falling limply at her sides. "The sky is grey with fog and coal, the air smells like iron and fuel"

The two of them shared a look, Emma grabbing the now empty glass, Regina still too stiff, too tired of the farce of being in a party like this, one that was supposed to be something that she should be happy for and couldn't feel any more angry and tired than she already did.

Licking her lips Emma locked her eyes with the brunette, a sigh escaping them.

"What would you do?" She finally asked slowly "If you would be able to leave the city?"

"Leave?"

The question was murmured, barely audible, but Emma nodded.

"Tonight" She added "What would you do if you would be able to leave and never come back?"

Regina stared back at the almost stranger that was looking back at her, green eyes openly asking her a question she had been asking herself since she took a step on the city.

"I…"

I would go with you, I would go and see for myself those places you've described me to, I would go and visit those cities you have told me about, I would learn to fight against those pirates, I would never look back, not once, not ever.

"I don't know"

"Are you sure?"

And Regina knew that it was the last chance she had, one final push perhaps. And she knew Emma for less than a few hours but she knew that the green eyed woman already knew her answer, that she had known it the second she had come up with it and it was because of that she stood as straightly as she could, eyes flaring and one last answer on her lips.

"I would go"


End file.
